Tonitrui: Kingdom of Odin
by Bad l'Cie
Summary: Sephiroth actually destroys Gaia, but then the next part of his master plan fails. After battling Odin and losing; Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth find themselves on Gran Pulse. What will become of the three ex-SOLDIERs? PM me if you want me to do the other kingdoms too.
1. Prologue:Etro

_I do not own FFXIII or FFVII or any of their sequels/prequels _

Cocoon was being held up by a pillar made of my Chaotic energy. I let the l'Cie rest before calling their Eidolons back to their homes in Valhalla. Each in turn knelt before me and I smiled upon them.  
"You and your l'Cie will rule over the six ancient kingdoms of Gran Pulse. I will send you the dead from Gaia so you can recruit warriors to protect the kingdoms and the l'Cie. There's not much time. The planet will come to an abrupt end. You must defeat your warriors of choice before the temporary link to the Lifestream is cut off. Are your instructions clear?" I asked. They nodded in sync, almost as if they had rehearsed this for millenniums.  
"Good. Now we shall watch Gaia's demise as we wait for the dead to arrive." I replied and wove a mirror into the sky.

It was decorated with the different stones of the Eidolons in a stunning silver border that wound around the mirror like a dragon's tail would its hoard. The mirror began to gleam an unearthly rainbow before showing us the planet of Gaia. There were only two warriors left standing. The rest of them lay on the ground, their wounds too much for their mortal bodies to handle.

"Sephiroth! Think about this!" Cloud hissed. Sephiroth chuckled and held his blade up to Cloud's throat.  
"Foolish child. I intend to destroy Gaia to recreate life in the Promised Land. Gaia wouldn't have lasted much longer anyways." Sephiroth replied calmly.  
"I won't let you have your way!" Cloud exclaimed and went around Sephiroth's long katana before trying to slash at him. Sephiroth parried his attack and struck him in the chest.  
"Not even you can stop me." Sephiroth smiled and then lifted Cloud off of the ground, leaving Cloud to slowly slide down his katana.  
"You have cheated death for long enough, Strife. Now, death shall beget life." Sephiroth replied before flinging Cloud into a building. The blonde fell to the ground and failed to rise after twenty seconds.  
"The end is nigh." I said as we watched a meteor crush the planet.

The whole of the planet had been destroyed, including the one who had destroyed it all. The Lifestream began to connect with the shores of my Valhalla. The Eidolons rose from their knees and walked towards the shore, their weapons at the ready. Beings stood up on the shore and stumbled into my realm. They seemed to be in groups of three. Stiria and Nix engaged Cloud, Barret and Reno into battle. Brynhildr fought against Rude, Tseng and Cat Sith. Bahamut lunged at Cid, Vincent and Red XIII. Alexander began to pummel Zack, Rufus and Kunsel with brute strength. Hecatoncheir used Quake on Tifa, Aeris and Yuffie, trapping them into battle. Finally, Odin struck at Genesis, Angeal and Sephiroth, forcing them to initiate combat.

I watched on as one by one, the groups began to fall. The Eidolons stood over their chosen warriors and hollered a victorious battle cry into the heavens. I stroked the ground beneath their feet and picked up six piles of dust, having each one float before them. They represented their new kingdoms.

"Stiria, Nix. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Glaciem to you and your l'Cie." I said and as the Eidolons bowed before me, I blew the dust away and it rebuilt the kingdom for them. They then left Valhalla with their warriors slowly disappearing after them. I then turned to Brynhildr and her warriors.  
"Brynhildr. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Ignis to you and your l'Cie." I said and blew on the dust. I then wandered to Bahamut.  
"Bahamut. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Draco Iram to you and your l'Cie." I said and then blew on the dust. I repeated this process with Alexander.  
"Alexander. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Divina Apparatus to you and your l'Cie." I said and then blew on the dust. I turned to Hecatoncheir.  
"Hecatoncheir. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Natus Terrae to you and your l'Cie." I said and then blew gently on the dust. Finally, I stood before Odin.  
"Odin. I entrust the ancient kingdom of Tonitrui to you and your l'Cie." I said and blew on the dust.

I sat back down on my throne and watched as the l'Cie awoke from their crystal slumber and their Eidolons led them to their new kingdoms. I then prayed for peace and prosperity for their kingdoms as slowly, their chosen awoke as well.


	2. Tonitrui, a New Beginning:Genesis

I awoke beneath a giant tree. The branches stretched out in front of me and the little bits of light that seeped through the leaves highlighted Sephiroth's silvery hair and Angeal's face. I sighed and looked up at the tree. I could feel my heart leap for joy when I spotted purple apples hanging from the branches. I picked two apples from the tree and grinned. Sephiroth and Angeal weren't going to like me much. I threw one of the apples at Angeal's stomach and the other at Sephiroth's head.  
"Wake up, girls!" I chirped happily.

Angeal was the first to groan in pain as his eyes opened and he rolled onto his knees. Sephiroth didn't even open his eyes. He just picked up the apple and chucked it at me. I didn't move in time and it smacked me in the cheek.  
"Ow! I'm going to tell everyone that you're gay with me!" I taunted as I rubbed my cheek. Sephiroth's eyes shot open and he sat up before shooting me the classic 'Sephiroth stare'. The stare where he looks at you from the tops of his eyes and frowns. I tried to hold back a chuckle. Angeal slapped the back of my head and my urge to chuckle subsided.

It was good to be with my friends again.  
"I was kidding, Sephiroth. Good to see you still can't take a joke." I replied and then rubbed the back of my head. Angeal and Sephiroth looked at each other before chuckling.  
"Hey have you lost weight?" Angeal asked Sephiroth. Sephiroth shook his head and pushed Angeal over.  
"You asked me that the last time!" He replied with a chuckle. I saw the same Sephiroth from ages ago, the one Angeal and I used to know and not the psychopathic maniac he had become.

"You know what makes us even better friends now?" I asked with a smirk.  
"What would that be?" Angeal asked and picked a dumbapple from the tree before tossing it in the air and catching it again.  
"We all have feathers!" I chirped and we shared a moment of laughter.  
"You guys want to check out the area?" Sephiroth asked. Angeal and I looked at each other with the same answer running through our minds.  
"Yep." We replied and then Sephiroth got out from beneath the tree. He stood in front of the reaching branches of the Banora White, unable to speak. "Sephiroth? You ok?" Angeal asked. He wandered out to find out what kept Sephiroth so quiet and all you heard were his gasps of awe.  
"Angeal? Sephiroth? Answer me!" I exclaimed before heading out of the dark branches and into the light. I could finally see what they were gawking at.

There was a huge golden palace nearby; it looked a lot like it was from an ancient civilisation. There was a golden fountain in the cobblestone courtyard that sprouted water as blue as the sky. Around the Banora White was an expansive garden of red roses. And outside the beautiful golden gates, stood an agora on a cobblestone road. The voices of people could be heard over the cheerful chirps of chocobos.  
"Do you want to look around the agora?" I asked. My two friends only nodded as we headed towards the busy marketplace.

People rushed around the cobblestone grounds and sellers barked their prices over the hubbub of a busy day. The sun beat down on the crowd and it didn't seem to affect them at all. However, I began to feel a little stuffy in my old SOLDIER uniform. Apparently, both Sephiroth and Angeal were getting a little hot too. A little further along, the road opened up to a huge square that was shaded by a massive sail. With the sun finally off of us, I started to feel a little more comfortable in this climate. Latin music filled the air as people in elaborate costumes pranced around the square with such grace that I had never seen before. As the music quickened, there was a delighted roar from the crowd as the dance quickened along with it. It was pure poetry, the stuff that can never be written down on a page. The crowd began to clap the dancers on as their feet began to pound at the stones beneath their feet. It sounded similar to that of a thunderstorm.

"What's happening?" I asked one of the locals. She turned and then looked me up and down.  
"Not from here?" She asked. She had beautiful brown eyes and long, voluminous black hair. I nodded.  
"Yeah, two of us are from Banora and the other one, nobody knows. Even he doesn't." I replied.  
"Nibelheim." Sephiroth said with a sour tone.  
"Right, he's from Nibelheim. We're from Gaia." I continued.  
"Ah. This is Gran Pulse, but everyone here is from Cocoon. This dance is worshipping the goddess Etro for resurrecting Tonitrui, the ancient Thunder Kingdom." She replied.  
"What's the dance's name?" Angeal asked.  
"Dance of Thunder. Obvious, but 'tis true." She replied.  
"Thanks." I said.  
"Welcome." She replied before turning to leave with a group of women around her age.

Suddenly, a burst of light surrounded us and we were standing outside the golden palace in armour made of gold and thunder materia. It sparkled in the sunlight and almost blinded me at first. Angeal's white wing almost flicked me in the face. I slapped his wing out of my face. I looked to my left to see him batting my wing away as well. The two of us looked at each others' backs before turning to Sephiroth, who was trying to piece together what was going on. His own black wing had sprouted and Angeal was flicking it away as well.  
"Sephiroth?" I asked.  
"What?" he asked in reply. We looked at each other and then a moment of silence followed. Our weapons slid out of their hiding places and fell to the ground before us.

"What's going on?" Angeal asked. We looked to Sephiroth for answers. He looked at us in surprise.  
"What, you expect me to know everything?" he asked in reply before shrugging. Then, a fanfare of trumpets sounded and a very tall being with elaborate silver, green and gold armour stood before us with a massive shield in one hand and a deadly 'S' shaped blade in the other. It was the same man that fought up on that dark beach.  
"I am King Odin and welcome my knights, to Tonitrui." He announced.


	3. Knighthood:Angeal

King Odin loomed over us and I began to feel a sense of dread. He stepped down the stairs and stood before Genesis. The three of us looked at each other and then knelt down before the king.  
"You three failed to defeat me. As it is the law in Valhalla, you three must serve me for as long as I live. You will spend your time here, as knights protecting the High Princess." He explained.  
"Your majesty, are you related to the Odin from Gaia?" I asked. He turned to look at me and I held my breath. I didn't feel like getting my head cut off by those vicious looking blades.  
"I am Odin from all worlds. I did a lot of travelling before settling in Valhalla." He replied with an unrivalled authority to his voice. He was definantly Odin.

Odin picked up his blade and stood before Genesis. He tapped both of Genesis' shoulders and then lifted the blade back to his side.  
"I dub thee Sir Genesis Rhapsodos of Banora." He said before Genesis bowed his head and sighed with relief. Then, Odin moved to me. He tapped both of my shoulders before raising his blade.  
"I dub thee Sir Angeal Hewley of Banora." He said and they I bowed my own head before the king. Odin then moved to Sephiroth. He tapped both of his shoulders with his blade before lifting it again.  
"I dub thee Sir Sephiroth Crescent of Nibelheim." He said and then Sephiroth bowed his head before secretly letting out a breath.

"Head up." Odin commanded and we immediately looked up towards the king.  
"Good. Now listen close. The High Princess will be coming back from a war soon and I wanted to surprise her. Now, the princess needs not only a guard, but a mate and I didn't want just anybody. I chose you three because not only can you protect her, but you can please her also. She's very hard to please, trust me on that. You three are to compete for her affections and protect her. Think you can do that?" Odin asked.  
"Yes, your majesty." We replied in sync.  
"Is she hot?" Genesis asked. I whacked him on the back of the head and he groaned in pain.  
"Metal! Angeal, your hand has metal on it!" He hissed at me.

"Very beautiful, but she's also very headstrong and rough. She's pretty fearless and she won't hesitate to knock you out." Odin replied.  
"Is there a difference between beautiful and hot?" I asked. Sephiroth and Genesis turned to me in shock.  
"Of course there is!" Genesis exclaimed.  
"Even I know the difference!" Sephiroth exclaimed.  
"Oh, ok." I replied and hung my head in shame.  
"It should be a few hours until she's back, so until then just wander around the kingdom until you hear news of her arrival. When you do, come straight back." Odin explained. We nodded to him and beat our right fist over our chest before he turned and headed into the palace.

We got off of the ground and Genesis had a little stretch. Sephiroth was looking at the materia on the golden armour. It was almost as if he was mesmerised by the stuff. I couldn't help but to let out a chuckle. Sephiroth took his eyes off of the materia and shot me an unamused stare. Genesis yawned and then turned around to face the agora.  
"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess... Maybe, this is our gift from the goddess. Waking up in Gran Pulse and being knights, sworn to protect a princess. Maybe, this is our fresh start." Genesis said. I laughed at this idea, but Sephiroth went really quiet.

"What do you say about chatting up the locals?" Genesis asked.  
"I'm in." I replied. Sephiroth said nothing. I suppose he was still shocked about everything that's happened recently.  
"Seph? You coming?" Genesis asked and waved his hand in from of his face. Still no answer from the former hero.  
"Fine. Stay here and mope. I thought that since we hadn't seen each other in years that we could do something together, but no. You can stay here and we'll check out the town." Genesis retorted to Sephiroth's silence and he headed off into the agora. I always hated getting in the middle of these fights. Genesis turned around and stared at me.  
"What? You staying to mope too?" he asked brutally and folded his arms across his chest. Sephiroth smiled sadly and shook his head.  
"No, he was just leaving." Sephiroth replied and then walked over to the Banora White.  
"Suit yourself. You coming?" Genesis asked. I looked at Sephiroth, he sat underneath the tree and stared up at the sky and then back at my auburn, literature loving friend since childhood. I nodded and then followed Genesis into the busy agora.


	4. Reflection:Sephiroth

The clouds slowly moved across the sky. I sighed as the clouds began darken. If Genesis was right and this was a fresh start, did I really deserve a second chance? Memories from a long time ago flooded my mind. Mostly of Genesis, Angeal and Zack. My friends from Gaia. And then there was the Nibelheim incident. I shuddered as the piercing screams made by the citizens of my burning hometown replayed in my mind. I remembered murdering Aeris and creating the Geostigma. I remembered the times that Cloud had defeated me and when I finally succeeded in the first part of my grand plan, the second part completely failed. Then, I wandered if the one I called 'Mother' really was my mother. I had been told all my life that my mother's name was Jenova and that she died in childbirth. I decided that was as true as a fairytale. I shared no other traits with her beside the fact that I had her cells within my body.

Suddenly, I could hear a woman begging someone for something. I couldn't see anything, but the voices were as clear as glass.  
"Please! Let me see him just once!" she exclaimed. Was this from my memories?  
"No. If you do, he won't listen to me. He has to listen to me if this experiment is to work." A man's voice replied. He sounded a lot like one of the scientists from Shinra.  
"Hojo! Please let me see our son! He won't know who I am! He doesn't have to know that I'm his mother! I just want to see him!" The woman pleaded and her voice sounded as if tears were streaming down her face.  
"No, Lucrecia. He is my life's research and I don't want it soiled by your needs!" the man exclaimed in reply. That was definantly Hojo, there was no mistaking it. Hojo was talking to a woman named Lucrecia about their son. She wasn't going to back down without a fight; I could sense that in her voice.

"He's only three months old! How would he possibly remember me in the foreseeable future?" Lucrecia begged.  
"No." Hojo sternly replied.  
"He's going to do terrible things when he's older! I've seen it with my own eyes! Please! Let me see him!" she exclaimed.  
"Shut up! He'll wake up you stupid woman!" Hojo hissed.  
"Remind me again why I married you?" she asked angrily.  
"For science." He replied. I heard a gasp come from Lucrecia and then the sound of fish slapping concrete followed.  
"Why did you hit me?" Hojo asked.  
"Because you used me! Vincent was right to talk me out of marrying you, but I didn't listen!" Lucrecia exclaimed.  
"I wish I did listen to him..." she replied after a moment's silence.

"That was your mistake, not mine." Hojo retorted.  
"Just let me see my little Sephiroth! Please! Just once! I need to see my baby!" She begged as she sniffled.  
"No, and stop your blubbering!" Hojo exclaimed in reply.  
"Sir, the test subject is awake." Another voice said. Hojo groaned.  
"Test subject? You don't even have your team call him by his name? You bastard!" She exclaimed.  
"Bring him in." Hojo replied, dejectedly.  
"Stop your sobbing!" Hojo exclaimed.

The scientist left and then came back again.  
"Oh, he's just adorable. I can't imagine a baby boy this beautiful just going out and destroying a town!" she said happily.  
"You've got five minutes." Hojo replied.  
"Shut the fuck up, Hojo!" she cursed and then she giggled softly.  
"Don't swear in front of him. He's smarter than the others." Hojo said.  
"Regardless, I hope he aims that word or worse at you. And of course he's smart; he's the son of two scientists, dickhead." She retorted and then mumbled happy phrases.  
"I hope he doesn't end up being a walking mass of complexes like you." Lucrecia said.  
"He won't. He will be perfect." Hojo replied.  
"That's because he's coming home with me! You never should have separated a baby from his mother!" Lucrecia snapped.  
"He will do nothing of the sort! Put him back." Hojo commanded and there was a lot of scurrying before a door was slammed shut and bolted.  
"Fucking idiot." Lucrecia cursed before a set of stamping feet faded from hearing range.  
"Some people should just die." Hojo muttered.

My mind snapped back to reality. Did she just call him a 'walking mass of complexes'? Maybe that's where I got it from... but this Lucrecia woman; was she really my mother? Could I trust my memories? I stared at the dark clouds above me as they swirled into a giant mass of dark, fluffy sky. I realised why I never did this recently as I felt shivers travel down my spine.

I pushed my mind off of my messed up past and focused on my task at hand; protecting the High Princess. A warrior princess I might add. I got up from the cushiony grass and lent against the trunk of the tree. Genesis pranced into the garden with a staggering Angeal following him. Genesis stopped before me and looked at me closely.  
"Are you alright? You look as if you saw a ghost!" Genesis exclaimed before dancing around, mindlessly mumbling Loveless.  
"What's up with Genesis?" I asked and pointed to our crazed friend.  
"Too much caffeine and a little sex..." Angeal replied with a yawn.

"What? He found that chick he was talking to?" I asked in reply. Genesis stumbled over and laughed.  
"Silly Sephiroth! It was with Zack!" the auburn idiot replied.  
"He what?!" I asked in shock.  
"Genesis, that was Tifa." Angeal said.  
"Whatever!" he called before picking a dumbapple off of the tree. I sighed with relief.  
"Thank Etro!" I exclaimed to the heavens.  
"Who?" Genesis asked before biting down on the fruit.  
"Etro, the goddess that the Dance of Thunder was worshipping." I replied.  
"Why?" Genesis asked before tripping over his own foot.  
"That you're straight." I replied. Angeal chuckled and then swayed a bit. I noticed King Odin heading towards us and standing beside us.

"Angeal?" I asked.  
"I... also had a little fun with a girl. Her name was Oerba Yun Fang and she was with Cid, Vincent and Red XIII." Angeal replied. Odin sighed and slapped his own face.  
"That was Princess Oerba Yun Fang of Draco Iram. You had sex with one of the High Princess' friends." Odin replied.  
"Oh... She didn't mention that..." Angeal said and hung his head in shame.  
"She's a flirty character that one. She's another warrior princess." Odin replied.  
"Is that a problem?" I asked the king.  
"Ah, yeah. It is. Here in Tonitrui, it is a custom to have sex with the woman you are to marry. It is a commitment." Odin replied. I chuckled a little.  
"Sorry Genesis, you have to marry Tifa." I chuckled.  
"What?! But she's Cloud's girl! It was a onetime thing!" Genesis replied before slumping against Angeal. Odin shook his head and groaned.  
"There goes the original plan." Odin sighed.

"Odin, what do you mean 'original plan'?" A rough female voice asked. Odin turned around and shrugged.  
"I don't know what you mean, High Princess." Odin replied. Angeal and Genesis stood, not really grasping what Odin had just said. I knelt to the ground as my friends looked on at the king. He turned around again to see Genesis and Angeal still standing.  
"Go on. You two have matters to deal with." Odin said. With that, Genesis and Angeal headed off to the agora without question, leaving me to meet the High Princess.  
"Who were they?" she asked.  
"Two of the three knights that will be protecting you." Odin replied. The princess groaned.

"I don't need to be protected. I can handle myself just fine. I have you, I have discipline, I have magic and increased strength, hell I even have an entire army! I'll be more than fine." She said.  
"Please, humour me. Besides, would you like to marry one of the princes?" Odin asked.  
"No. But you never said anything about marriage!" she exclaimed in reply. Odin sighed.  
"I know, but I think it might be best if you did happen to marry someone who can protect you. You're a princess for Etro's sake! You shouldn't be fending for yourself!" Odin replied.  
"But I can and I will fend for myself." She said sourly. She really was headstrong, just as King Odin had said. I thought he was kidding.

"High Princess Lightning, this is one of your knights." He said and then turned to the side. Next to King Odin, she was rather short but she was indeed beautiful all the same. Her athletic physique was hugged by a golden corset that flared into a ground length gown. Her golden jewellery was encrusted with thunder materia and it shone in the light. She had a blue mark on her chest and it seemed scorched by something, but I didn't want to ask her about it. Just above the mark was a dainty silver necklace that bore a lightning bolt. Her pink hair spiked out to one side and her hair fell over the other shoulder like a waterfall of thunderbolts. Her eyes were as blue as ice and it seemed that her gaze could pierce through my armour. Atop her head was a golden tiara, fully encrusted with diamonds and thunder materia. When Odin said she was beautiful, I didn't know he meant this beautiful.

I beat my right fist against my chest and lowered my head before her. She stepped towards me and lifted my chin with her hand. She inspected my features and her blue eyes looked into mine. I tried to keep my composure as she nodded and then let go of my chin.  
"Ok, maybe having him protect me won't be too bad." She replied. My heart skipped a beat. She turned back to me and held out her hand.  
"Lightning." She said.  
"Princess... Lightning." Odin corrected. Princess Lightning shot him a warning glance before turning back to me. I took her hand and lowered my head.  
"Sir Sephiroth Crescent of Nibelheim at your service, your highness." I replied before kissing her hand.  
"Very formal aren't you?" Lightning muttered before pulling her hand away. Odin gave me an apologetic look as the High Princess turned back to Odin.

"If you excuse me, I'm going to clean the blood off of my gunblade." She announced before storming off into the palace.  
"I'm sorry about her. She's so damn hard to convince." Odin said with a sad smile.  
"Relax your majesty. She's only just gotten back from a war so she'll still be a little wired for a while." I replied. Odin nodded.  
"Ok, I want you to guard her with your life, do you hear me?" Odin asked.  
"Yes, your majesty." I replied before standing up.  
"Right, ask the servants where she went and you will stay with her. Dismissed." Odin said before heading into the agora. I turned to face the golden palace and took a deep breath before heading inside to find the High Princess.


	5. The Knight in the Golden Armour:Light

I put my Blazefire Saber away in its sheath before sitting on my bed and sighing. How did I get myself into this mess? Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  
"Come in." I replied. The door opened and the silver haired knight in the golden armour appeared in the doorway.  
"Let me guess, Odin's orders?" I asked. He nodded and then closed the door behind him. I stood and then walked over to the knight. His bright green eyes were similar to that of a cat's. I tried not to get lost in his eyes, but as hard as I tried, I realised that I was captivated by him. I blinked and the connection between our eyes was severed. He looked down at the ground and then he stared out of the window.

There was an awkward air of silence.  
"So, Sephiroth... how do you like it here so far?" I asked.  
"I think I like it better here than Gaia." He replied.  
"What are the other knights like?" I asked. He chuckled and my heart began to race.  
"Genesis loves Loveless, he read the poem when he was only young and he has loved it ever since. He even tried to play out a part of his life just like the poem. And Angeal is one of the most honourable people I know. He would never do anything that would tarnish his honour or reputation. They're my best friends. I've known them for a very long time." Sephiroth replied.  
"Which one is which?" I asked.  
"Angeal has dark hair." He replied. I nodded.

Another awkward moment of silence followed.  
"Princess, how many wars have you led?" Sephiroth asked.  
"Only five." I replied. Sephiroth nodded. This was getting really awkward. You could grasp the awkwardness and slice it with a knife, that's how awkward it was.  
"What did Odin mean by 'original plan'?" I asked the green eyed knight.  
"The king wanted us to compete for your affections. However, Genesis had sex with Tifa and Angeal had sex with one of the other Princesses. So, he complained that his original plan went out the window." Sephiroth replied.  
"Oerba Yun Fang?" I asked. Sephiroth nodded.  
"Figures. She's always flirting with somebody." I replied and rolled my eyes as if Fang really was here.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Odin came in and shut the door behind him.  
"Snow and Serah are here. Fang, Vanille, Hope and Sazh shouldn't be too far away." Odin said. I nodded.  
"Alright, I'm coming out." I replied and I followed my Eidolon out with Sephiroth in tow. In the main hall, Serah stood with Snow by her side, both wearing blue and they had a dark man with an arm gun, a red haired man in a suit wielding a metal rod and a spiky haired blonde holding a large sword. Serah's eyes widened as she ran up to me and hugged me.  
"Lightning! I missed you!" she chirped. As she let go of me, I saw Sephiroth sneak over to the Banora White and pick two apples from the tree.

He came back over and handed me an apple before stepping back. He smirked before turning to his side.  
"What in Etro's name are you doing?" I asked the knight. He chuckled before throwing the purple apple. The apple struck the spiky blonde in the temple and he collapsed to the ground.  
"Cloud!" Snow exclaimed and Serah ran over to the fallen man. Sephiroth chuckled. I turned to him and shook my head.  
"Let me guess, he pisses you off?" I asked.  
"Nope, enemy." He replied with a satisfied smile.  
"Blondes? What are you gonna do?" I asked with a shrug and he laughed.  
"What am I going to do with this apple?" I asked and held the apple up.  
"Whatever you want, princess." Sephiroth replied. I threw the apple up and caught it again before taking aim and chucked it at Snow. The apple hit him in the back off the head and he fell on top of the unconscious spiky blonde.

"That was fun." I said and I gave Sephiroth a high five. Serah shook her head at me.  
"Light! That was mean!" She exclaimed.  
"You know I hate Snow." I replied.  
"It was still mean..." Serah said with a pout. Snow got off of the spiky blonde man and pulled him up with him. The man with spiky hair wandered up to Sephiroth and folded his arms across his chest.  
"Why did you hit me with a dumbapple?" he asked sourly.  
"You were the perfect target." Sephiroth chuckled. The blonde man looked me up and down, his vivid blue eyes checking over every inch of me.  
"Who's this?" I asked.  
"Cloud Strife." Sephiroth said with a vicious snarl. It was quite obvious that Sephiroth didn't like him.  
"And who's this?" Cloud asked, pointing to me.  
"The High Princess Lightning." Sephiroth replied. Cloud smiled and then bowed a little.

"Sephiroth, it is now my turn to take what you cherish." Cloud said and eyed the knight evilly. The blonde wrapped his arms around my waist and brushed my hair out of my face.  
"Get off of me." I snarled. He didn't bother to listen to me and tried to kiss my neck. I could see hidden anger boiling up within Sephiroth as he pulled out his blade. I kneed Cloud in the groin, punched his stomach and punched him in the face. He fell over and Sephiroth began to chuckle.  
"Pitiful Cloud... he got beat up by a warrior princess." Sephiroth mocked. I chuckled along with him. Cloud got off of the floor and pushed me up against the wall.  
"Let go of me you bastard!" I exclaimed as he tried to grab me.

Sephiroth pushed in between Cloud and myself, holding out his incredibly long katana.  
"Keep away from her." He hissed.  
"Since when were you the protective type?" Cloud asked.  
"It is my duty to protect her and you will not hurt her any more than you already have!" Sephiroth exclaimed before advancing on his enemy. I just stood behind him in shock. I never expected someone to actually come to my aid, as I would have broken out of his grip and beat him up again anyways.

"What are you talking about? She liked it, didn't you princess?" Cloud mocked. Sephiroth pointed the blade up to the blonde's neck, the tip of his katana slowly cutting his neck and blood trailing from his wound.  
"You have no right to hurt her, whether she liked it or not. Besides, didn't you hear her telling you to get off of her? I thought you were the hero." Sephiroth replied darkly. I looked at the blonde who was snarling at the silver haired knight in the golden armour like a wolf would its prey.  
"And I thought you were the villain. But the shoe seems to be on the other foot now. I'm the one terrorising what you cherish. How does it feel?" Cloud asked and stared Sephiroth down. I gazed at the hole in the back of his armour and wandered what that was for.

"I'd prefer it if you kept away from the High Princess from now on or I will make sure you die this time." Sephiroth replied.  
"I'd like to see you try!" Cloud retorted.  
"Is that a challenge?" Sephiroth chuckled before straightening his arm out more and the katana pierced the flesh of the blonde swordsman.  
"Depends, you just keep your bloodstained hands off of Tifa!" Cloud snarled.  
"Then take that up with Genesis, because they have to get married." Sephiroth smirked. I peered over the knight's left shoulder to see years of hatred pulsing around in his bright green irises.  
"Cloud! Get back here!" Snow hissed. Cloud looked at Snow before shooting Sephiroth a warning glance and heading back to the NORA leader.  
"This isn't over, Sephiroth." Cloud said before turning his back on him.

Sephiroth lowered his blade and turned around to me.  
"Are you alright, princess?" he asked.  
"I'm fine now. Thanks." I replied. Another wave of awkward silence swept over us.  
"You didn't have to do that. I could've easily gotten out of that situation." I said. Sephiroth shook his head at me.  
"You don't know Cloud like I do. He's not an ordinary human. He is much stronger than a normal human." Sephiroth replied.  
"Yeah, but so are l'Cie. I can handle myself. I'm not weak." I said.  
"I don't want to see you hurt and neither does the king. We're just trying to protect you from the people who will use you." He replied. There was gentleness within him. If what Cloud had said was true, I couldn't imagine Sephiroth just going out and killing people for fun. Then again, nobody expected Galenth Dysley to be a fal'Cie that wanted Cocoon to fall. You just couldn't judge people by appearance.

I studied him closely. Sephiroth was nothing like the kind of men I was used to.  
"What's Nibelheim like?" I asked. He seemed to be caught off guard by my question.  
"Well, it's a country town in Gaia. Sort of like Banora, but on the steps of a mountain. It's quite small but expansive, if you can get what I'm saying." Sephiroth replied.  
"Sounds nice and quiet. I don't think I could live there though." I replied.  
"City girl?" he asked.  
"No. I'm from Bodhum. It's a town by the beach. Partly why the heat of Tonitrui doesn't bother me." I replied. His cat like eyes sparkled. I found myself staring into his eyes and sighing quietly. Sephiroth averted his gaze and then chuckled towards the ground.

"Something bothering you?" I asked. He looked back up at me and then back at the ground again. Cloud wandered over and shoved Sephiroth aside. He pushed me back up against the wall and pinned my arms to my sides.  
"Kiss me princess." Cloud taunted. I slammed my foot against his and he let go of me, tumbling to the floor.  
"I don't want to kiss you. Get the hint. Are all blondes this dumb?" I asked and stepped on his back before helping Sephiroth up.  
"See? I can take care of myself." I said. Sephiroth looked down at the ground again before he picked me up and walked over towards Serah and Snow.  
"Hey! What's the big idea?" I asked him.  
"Cloud was going to grab your ankle and pull you down with him." Sephiroth replied before letting my feet touch the ground again.  
"Thanks again." I said as I looked over at the blonde picking himself up off of the floor.

"I never knew you needed a bodyguard sis!" Snow exclaimed.  
"I'm not your sister! And it was Odin's idea!" I snapped before slapping Snow.  
"Light, that wasn't needed..." Serah said before kissing Snow's cheek. The red head in the suit kept looking from Sephiroth to me and then talked with his tough friend with the arm gun next to him. Cloud sauntered over and tried to get close to me again. But Sephiroth wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled out his katana before using it to halt Cloud.  
"Back off, Strife!" Sephiroth hissed. His hold on me was gentle but strong. I ran my fingertips across his golden gauntlet. The metal was cool to the touch and the sensation made me sigh.  
"Make me." Cloud mocked with a smirk.

Sephiroth frowned at the blonde idiot. I only chuckled. Cloud was making a complete fool of himself and he didn't even seem to care. Sephiroth went to take his arm off of my waist and I didn't even know what was running through my mind at that moment, because I pulled his arm back and rested his hand on top of my pelvis. Sephiroth sighed. Cloud shook his head and left for his friends that were chatting amongst themselves.

"Thanks. Again." I said and kissed his cheek as he put his katana away. Sephiroth's hand went to move again, but I wouldn't let it. He did happen to get out of my grip and he turned to face me.  
"What was that about?" he asked.  
"I'm not entirely sure myself." I replied. He took me into his arms and kissed my cheek. I don't know what came over me, but his lips were right there. I lightly intertwined my lips with his and they gently brushed over each other continuously. Sephiroth's hands rested on the small of my back as mine brushed his silvery bangs off of his face.  
"Serah!" I heard a cheery voice chirp. I pulled away to find Vanille skipping into the palace with Fang, Sazh, Hope and a few others entering the golden building. Sephiroth saw them like I did and we parted before greeting them. Odin watched from afar and shook his head.


	6. Given Time:Odin

I shook my head at Lightning and Sephiroth.  
"Hey Vanille!" Serah exclaimed in reply as she ran up to the bubbly Gran Pulsian before hugging her. Fang was stroking Angeal's head, whilst nearby Tifa was cuddling Genesis. Cloud's face showed pure anger when he saw Genesis and Tifa together. I laughed quietly. Serves him right if you ask me. No one tries to piss off Lightning without a consequence or two. Sephiroth let Lightning out of their embrace so she could greet the rest of our guests.

Aeris saw Sephiroth and hid behind Zack. Zack laughed and gave Aeris a comforting hug.  
"So Fang, I heard you slept with one of my knights. Really?" Lightning asked.  
"Yep. You can't have three hot men all to yourself!" Fang replied before flashing a cheeky smirk. Typical Fang. Genesis looked from Sephiroth to Lightning and then chuckled to himself.  
"I saw that." He mused.  
"Saw what?" Lightning asked with her usual cool composure.  
"You and Sephiroth smooching. I'm not blind." Genesis replied.  
"Alright, so I kissed him." Lightning said before turning to Hope.

"What's up, kiddo?" Lightning asked before ruffling the teen's hair. He chuckled as she used her finger to push his head away.  
"Not much." Hope replied with a shrug. Sephiroth came over and wrapped his arms around Lightning's waist. He kissed her cheek and she sighed with delight. Hope watched on with his mouth open wide and his eyes open wider. Lightning laughed at Hope's expression and closed his jaw with her hand. Angeal gave Sephiroth a smirk and Sephiroth shook his head. Genesis looked at the other two knights and laughed because he knew what they were talking about. Angel telepathy, you're never going to know what they're saying to each other.

After the guests left, I pulled Sephiroth and Lightning aside.  
"I saw you two and your spark earlier today. You two have two weeks to commit to each other or Lightning, you are marrying Hope." I said.  
"What? You can't do that! Hope's like my little brother!" Lightning exclaimed with a shocked look on her face.  
"So, you better hop to it. The sooner you two commit, the better." I said before turning on my heels and walking back into the palace.


	7. Almost Up:Lightning

It has been thirteen days since Odin said that I have to commit to Sephiroth or marry Hope. The weather today was really hot, even too hot for my liking. I walked through the expansive rose garden and wondered if I really wanted to go through with this. I stopped beside a rose and smelt its beautiful aromas. I felt a hand wrap itself around my waist and a pair of lips gently kiss my neck.

"Princess..." I heard Sephiroth utter before continuously kissing my neck. I sighed as his lips slowly moved up to my mouth.  
"Let me up." I said and he immediately eased up so I could stand against his bare chest.  
"Where did your armour go?" I asked as I brushed my fingers over his perfect abs.  
"I took it off. Too warm for it." Sephiroth replied with a chuckle.  
"Let's go inside, it's cooler in there." I said and kissed his cheek before pulling him into my room.

I closed the door behind me and pushed Sephiroth onto the bed before wrapping my arms around him and pressing my lips against his. One of his hands rested on my thigh and stroked it as our kiss intensified. The way his tongue curled around mine made me sigh with delight.  
"Oh, Sephiroth..." I moaned as his hands roamed my body. When his fingertips brushed against my skin, it tingled pleasurably. I ripped my tiara off of my head and Sephiroth removed all of my jewellery. He pulled off my shoes before running his tongue up my shin. I sighed as his lips slowly headed up to my lips. As soon as our lips connected again, Sephiroth placed his hands at the back of my dress. I sighed and undid the back for him. Sephiroth gently pulled the dress off of my body before placing his tongue lovingly around mine. I let my hands trace his abdominals and he sighed happily. I released his lips and he placed his hands on my hips.  
"Call me Claire, or Lightning. Whatever suits you." I said and kissed his lips again, running my hands down his perfect body. He pulled his lips off of mine and then sat up next to me.

"Sephiroth, what's up?" I asked and sat up before placing my hands on his shoulders.  
"I don't think we should be doing this. I don't think it would do Tonitrui any favours if you committed to me." Sephiroth replied and turned away from me.  
"It would. It would be torture without you by my side." I said and kissed his neck. I twirled his silver hair around my fingers.  
"Princess... Lightning, it would be wiser to marry Hope. You have electricity; he has machines that require them. And you get technology to run that electricity through. It would beneficial for everyone." Sephiroth replied.  
"I know where you're coming from. It's smart really, but I don't want to marry Hope. I want to marry you." I said and kissed his neck.

Sephiroth stood up and stared out the window.  
"I don't deserve a woman like you. You're out of my league." Sephiroth said.  
"If I was out of your league, then how come I've fallen for you?" I asked him with a heavy sigh. Sephiroth took my hands in his and kissed them.  
"Claire, I don't think that we should be together anymore. So, for the sake of your people... I'm breaking up with you." Sephiroth said and then sighed. I couldn't believe this, he was breaking up with me.  
"Claire, it's for the best." He said before releasing my hands from his and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Why would this happen? I love him more than anything I ever have and he broke up with me. Maybe he's right, maybe it is for the best. I wish I could convince my heart otherwise.


	8. A Big Mistake:Sephiroth

Lightning wasn't real happy about yesterday. She avoided me at all costs and I heard the servants complaining of her bitter mood. Today, Snow came over with Serah. Lightning saw Snow once, stormed up to him and punched him in the face.  
"What's the big idea?" Snow exclaimed and rubbed his jaw. Lightning punched him in the face again and Serah held her sister's arms behind her back.  
"Lightning! What's up with you?" Serah asked and turned her sister to face her.  
"He broke up with me." Lightning replied with a sorrowful sigh.

I watched the scene unfold from underneath the Banora White. Genesis and Angeal sat beside me as I sat against the trunk of the tree.  
"What's up with you?" Genesis asked as he took a bite of his dumbapple.  
"I don't know if I made the right choice breaking up with Lightning." I replied. Angeal patted my shoulder and smiled supportively at me. I looked to the side and found Hope and Vanille making out.  
"I don't think I've made the right choice." I said. I looked over at Hope and Vanille before looking over at a distraught Lightning.

I looked down at the grass below me and sighed.  
"Do you really think I made the right choice?" I asked my two friends.  
"Would you be asking us if you made the right choice?" Angeal asked in reply.  
"I guess not." I replied.  
"So, why did you break up with her?" Genesis asked.  
"I thought that it would be better for her and her kingdom if we weren't together." I replied with a shrug.  
"I see your logic and that makes sense, but why would you break up with a woman like her?!" Angeal asked.  
"I don't know, I guess I wasn't thinking straight." I replied and gazed over at Lightning. She looked so angry and upset. It tore at my heart and I sighed sadly.

The moon was beginning to rise and Genesis pulled out his phone.  
"It's ten p.m. You have two hours before the two weeks are up and Lightning has to marry Hope over there." Genesis said and pointed to the young prince locking lips with the red headed princess. I sighed again before looking over at Serah giving Lightning a comforting hug.  
"You really do love her, don't you?" Angeal asked.  
"I do. I love her more than anything I ever have before." I replied.  
"Then what are you waiting for? Go get her back." Genesis replied before pushing me off of the ground next to him.  
"You have an hour and forty minutes to go. Be quick." Angeal said as they got out from underneath the tree and dragged me over to the High Princess.

They pushed me towards the princess and she stared at me with hurt before turning away.  
"Lightning, wait!" I exclaimed and followed her into the rose garden. I finally caught up to her and grabbed her hand before kneeling to the ground before her.  
"Lightning, I love you. I've made a big mistake. I was only thinking of your people, but not of you. Please forgive me." I said and kissed her hand.  
"Sephiroth, I love you too. I wish this never happened between us, I wish that we could've stayed together." She replied before sitting on my knee and pressing her lips up against mine. Her arms wrapped around my back as our kiss intensified.  
"Oh, Sephiroth..." she uttered as my hands ran up and down her back. Her hands ran her hands through my hair as my tongue curled around hers. She got off of my knee and pulled me into her room.

She slammed the door behind her and pushed me onto her bed.  
"What's the time?" I asked as she sat on my stomach. She looked up at her clock before kissing my neck with a sigh.  
"Eleven thirty." She replied.  
"We only have half an hour." I said.  
"For what?" she asked and kissed my cheek. It felt so good to be back in her arms again.  
"Until the two weeks are up. Do you want to marry Hope?" I asked in reply.  
"Hell no. I want to marry you." She replied.  
"Then we better hurry." I said and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Her shin gently brushed over my knee as our lips connected once more. Her lips were incredibly soft, but they sent electricity pulsing through my system as her lips roughly pressed against mine. She pulled away for a second and then bit my bottom lip whilst fumbling with my pants. When her teeth finally let go of my lips, I felt blood trickle down my lip. She licked her lips and then licked the blood off.  
"Claire..." I mumbled as her tongue reached into my mouth and tangled with mine. She sighed happily as she ran her hands over my chest. She removed her tongue from mine to check the time.

"Shit!" she cursed and kissed my chest.  
"What is it?" I asked as she began to lick my body.  
"Ten minutes to midnight." She replied and stripped off her clothes. I did the same and she mounted me. I rolled over so she was on her back and I began to grind against her hips. Lightning bit her lip and feverishly pressed her lips against mine. Her hands ran through my hair and tugged it on several occasions. I gently kissed the princess' neck as I continued to grind against her hips. She moaned and then exclaimed my name a few times before she began to moan louder. Even I couldn't hold back a few moans.  
"Sephiroth... check... the time..." Lightning instructed through her moaning. She held my waist and kissed my chest.  
"Baby... If you let me go, I can." I replied.  
"Don't you... dare stop... for a second." She said and pressed her lips up against mine briefly. I looked over at the clock sitting above the window.  
"Five minutes past twelve." I replied. Lightning sighed in relief as my body slowed down.

I got off of her and lay down beside her.  
"I love you, Claire." I said.  
"I love you too, Sephiroth." She replied and kissed my lips. She released her lips from mine and rested her head on my chest before shutting her eyes. I kissed her head before stroking her shoulder.  
"I'll see you in the morning." I said before shutting my eyes myself. I'm glad it wasn't too late to tell her how much she meant to me.


End file.
